Changes
by Claymore43
Summary: AU. Instead of Lee finding her, it is Carley that discovers Clementine. With the reporter now caring for the young girl what choices will be made in the journey to protect, what relationships will form, who's life will be lost and most importantly can she save Clem throughout it all? Contains eventual CarLee. Rated T for violence, language and other themes associated with the game.
1. Prologue: Lecture Gone Wrong

The word annoyed did not begin to describe the feelings going through Carley as she stared blankly at her producer who hammered on and on about rules- what to do, what not to do, what she could possibly do. She shut her out minutes ago but was unfortunately drawn back because of how loud she was speaking. Half of the sentences she spoke were directed to her as if she were a five-year-old and that it was like she had already screwed up and was being told extra carefully.

She slumped back in her seat at the back of the van in which she was currently in, slumping her chin into her hands as she looked at her, not moving her gaze out of politeness. It was bad enough that she had to endure a seven-hour long drive in a stuffy van but to have her bitchy producer doing all she could to piss her off was making it worse. And they were barely an hour in at the very least. They had only just exited Atlanta.

"Hey, Chels, leave off her, would ya? I think she gets it," The driver of the van (also Carley's cameraman) called back as he kept his eyes peeled on the road. She secretly thanked him, knowing he was probably sharing her feelings of resentment at having to hear the same crap over and over again.

"I'm just making sure she doesn't screw it up," Chelsea retorted, shooting him a glare even if he couldn't see it.

"And she won't, she never has and she probably never will," The man riding shotgun grinned in his reflection at Carley, "After all, with a crew like us, how can she?" He winked at her reflection.

Carley shared a smile back towards her makeup artist. Lucas was a good friend to have around, especially considering he did all he could to make sure that Chelsea didn't drive them all through the roof.

"Fine, but if she messes up, I'm blaming it all on you."

"You got it, boss," Richard responded as the cameraman simply nodded in agreement.

Carley relaxed back in her seat more, feeling much more contempt than she was minutes ago. She sneaked a peak at her phone, seeing the time was almost noon. With her calculations, they should be in Macon in around a few more hours. The Cherry Blossom Festival just spelled excitement in no-one's eyes. Carley was used to the rush and adrenaline from her war-correspondent days. Even if she never wanted to return to that, she wished for something better instead of just this. And in Macon of all places. Who would care about this?

"Sure are a lot of cops going into the city, huh?" Richard quipped and Carley looked out just in time to see a police car zoom by them.

Lucas tilted his head, "Who cares? It's probably just some sort of fire or murder...whatever it is."

A silence had washed up over them before Richard had started singing a song which he always did. They didn't object since he wasn't that bad when it came to vocal chords. When they finished, he looked back, his usual grin sliding onto his face.

"What did you think?"

Carley didn't reply as she soon saw a figure in the middle of the road, not moving. Immediately she jumped up, "Richard! Watch out-" He never got to turn his head or swerve out of the way as the van crashed into the body and it twisted around and hit the side and it broke, crashing off down the highway.

Carley had been thrown around like a rag doll before eventually everything went black.


	2. Discovery

Her eyes peered open, a thumping pain in her head. Her vision was blurry and she could barely make out what looked like a tree in the distance. She heard the sound of someone yelling and then a bang- almost like a bullet. She tried to keep herself awake but her struggles were useless and she eventually fell unconscious once more.

* * *

When her eyes opened once more she didn't hear any screams or banging like before. It was just quiet. Carley moved her arms to hoist herself up. After the sluggish movement was complete, she attempted to do the same with her legs but felt a stinging movement run through it harshly.

"Fuck."

She glanced down to see that her exposed leg was a bloody mess, a trail going down her tibia. She winced immediately as she moved it a bit so she could get a proper look. A deep gash was embodied onto her leg and she almost threw up at the sight of it. Her throat burned as she noted herself to having a thirst for something to drink.

Before she could even do that, she suddenly registered the fact that she was alone. No Chelsea, no Richard, no Lucas, just herself. Alone.

She frantically twisted her head around to look. The back doors of the van were open and judging by the angle it looked, the van was tipped over. She looked back and saw no one in the front seat. Her stomach tightened. Carley craned her neck once more to see out the open doors or windows but didn't see anything. She breathed in to calm her rapid breathing as she slowly eased herself to the end of the van, somewhat crawling to get there.

Where the hell were they? And what had happened? She remembered the car crash but that didn't explain why they would have disappeared.

She crawled to the end, ending up on her stomach as she flopped out hopelessly. Her leg stung as the wound collided with the ground. She grabbed hold of the door and hoisted herself onto her feet. She might be able to walk. Her gash definitely looked worse than it hurt. Didn't make it any better, though.

She looked up and gaped at the huge drop they had suffered. She had no way to get back to the highway, she was stuck down here, surrounded by trees and a ghostly feeling running through her. She turned around and looked around only to see a sight that made her heart drop.

Richard was lying on the ground a few feet away, his face flat and a puddle of blood surrounding his leg which was twisted to a horrifying angle. Her stomach quenched as she stared at him, "Oh fuck, no. Dammit, Rich..." She cursed as she moved herself along the van. She stumbled along, struggling to make her voice appear loud, "Anyone? L-Lucas? C-Chelsea?"

Goddammit, where were they? She would even take Chelsea's constant lecturing if it meant a chance to see either of them. She refused to take another look at Richard out of fear she might start crying. It wasn't the first time she had seen a dead body. Her time in Iraq and Afghanistan had ensured that for her. But Richard was a friend of hers.

How did it happen? His leg was a bloody mess and it couldn't have been from the car accident. His body was at too different an angle for him to have been flung out of the car.

All of a sudden Carley heard a low groaning noise. She turned to the area it came from and saw that it was Richard. He was still alive! She frowned for a moment but she eventually let go of the van. Thankfully she didn't topple over like she expected and she dragged her leg as she hobbled over to him.

"Rich, you okay?" She whispered. She almost hit herself, of course he wouldn't be okay. His leg was fucked! "Hey, wake up already so we can get you to safety. And we need to find-"

She jumped back as she saw him jump up at her, moving awkwardly and she landed on the ground with a thump and her leg seared with more pain. Before she could even wince, she stared in horror at Richard.

His skin was a terrifying color of grey, not his usual tanned shade. His clothes looked even a different color but it might have something to do with the splatters of blood across it. He snarled at her, hands gripping the ground as he crawled towards her which prompted her to move back.

Dammit, dammit, dammit. Today was her day of cursing as barely a thought rang through her without some swear involved. Focus, Carley! She yelled in her head.

Where was her gun? They always packed a gun just in case. It was in the glove department. She couldn't get it at this rate and with her leg.

Richard was getting closer and she saw his eyes were hollow and empty, "R-Richard stay back! Don't make me do anything that I'll regret!" He ignored her and moved closer. She looked around quickly searching for something- anything- to use as a weapon. Her eyes caught hold of a rock and she grabbed it and with all her luck flung it straight at him.

It hit his head and it stopped him for a few seconds before he resumed his movement. Carley stared with wide eyes, unsure of what to expect before a piercing bang rang throughout the air.

She followed the noise and was directed to Chelsea who aimed a Glock at Richard's head. He slumped to the ground and this time he never got back up.

"Holy shit," Chelsea looked just as terrified as Carley as she dropped the weapon almost immediately, "Oh God..."

Carley looked at her in shock as she found herself back onto her feet, "H-he...what happened to him?"

"I don't know...when I woke up, he was like this... Lucas was missing and you were unconscious. I went to find help whilst he stayed here. I didn't make it that far before I heard you yell back here. But...he was dead, not like this," Chelsea placed her hand to her mouth, looking like she was going to start throwing up which didn't seem like such a bad idea right now.

Carley breathed in, "Lucas' missing?"

"Yeah, he wasn't here and I didn't see him...maybe he's gone to get help?"

"Maybe," Carley responded with a frown.

A silence erupted as Carley tried thinking of what to do. She had to get help for her leg and to get to safety but how could she explain that someone who died came back to life and tried to eat her?

"I'm going to sit down, rest my leg," She informed Chelsea who was on the verge of tears at what she had done. She hobbled along using the van as support and made it to the end, sitting between the two opened doors. Her leg didn't hurt as much but Goddamn, did it sting. She noticed her sachelbag in the van and picked it up. She looked back and saw a small compartment in the wall and opened it up. She spotted some clips of ammunition and grabbed them, placing it in her bag as she slung it around her neck, relaxing once more.

She shut her eyes to debate more thought when she heard a yell and more groaning and her eyes snapped open. Chelsea was on the ground and...Lucas was on top of her, his teeth sinking into her neck. Chelsea screamed louder as blood flooded from her neck.

Carley was frozen at first but rememered the dropped gun. She dived for it, grabbing it and she aimed at Lucas. She had an easy aim at his head. She could make the shot but could she? H-he was her friend and she never killed someone before.

It was when Chelsea's screams had disappeared did her question get answered and she reluctantly pressed the trigger and an ear-shooting bang rang out as Lucas collapsed. She crawled to Chelsea but was too late. She lay there, dead with a rough bite wound on her neck and blood gushing out still. She looked at Lucas who looked just like Richard. Grey skin, rotted, blood-stained clothes, empty eyes.

Carley fell back, shuddering as she felt tears well up in her eyes. Jesus Christ, what was happening? In the space of a few hours her crew was dead, two of them trying or actually eating another. What was going on?

An immense form of guilt rang through her. She could've stopped him from killing her if she hadn't moved to rest.

She looked up and saw something in the distance, a figure. It had to be. The shadowed outline made her weakly left a hand.

"HELP!" She yelled, "G-go get someone! There's been an accident!" How could she explain this as an accident, she wondered and her heart thudded a bit at the thought of that. She couldn't go to jail, could she?

Before she could even think about that, the figure had turned and left. She stared in horror before she felt a rustling nearby. She looked to the side and saw a bush to which a person came out. No, someone just like Lucas and Richard. They slumped, part of their arm torn and some bone sticking out of the socket. She gritted her teeth as she hoisted herself back onto her feet. She saw another one and she gulped. She kept the pistol nearby and quickly made her way forward.

She rushed forward only to collapse to the ground and her leg crunched once more. She struggled back up and moved slower but still quick as more and more emerged. They all looked the same; horrifying and deadly. She fell once more as she arrived at the base of a slope. She crawled up it, scrambling to get away. When she was on flat ground, she pulled herself back up and stumbled once more, seeing a fence that looked tall enough to keep those things out if she hopped it.

Carley wasn't a tall girl, in fact her height was something she had been regularly mocked about. Nonetheless, she was small but agile and could make some jumps when needed and if this wasn't a time to have granted agility, she didn't know what else was. She gritted her teeth and jumped up, arms slung around the top of the fence. She struggled to pull herself up and when she did, she flung herself over and collapsed on the opposite side. She didn't stop there, moving backwards on towards a patio she saw ahead. She stopped when her back hit the object.

The moaning and groaning could be heard as well as the scratching of wood as they tried to climb over. Thankfully she didn't have any jump down and try to attack her thanks to the sound of a gun going off. Slowly the sounds of the monsters grew quieter until she could hear nothing. She pushed off the patio and looked around where she was. Her gun had hit the ground and she picked it up, tucking it into the waistband of her skirt.

The backyard of a house from the looks of it. A covered up pool lingered on one spot and she noticed some a tea set and some toys scattered around and there was a custom-built treehouse. A tire swing was there too and a red wagon.

Carley looked and saw the sliding doors of the house whose backyard she occupied. Maybe someone in there could help her! She limped up the steps and approached them, "Hello?" She weakly asked to make sure someone wasn't going to jump out. She knocked at the glass, "Anyone home?" She called, banging once more on the glass before she paused, "No one seems to be home..." She stayed silent, contemplating for a few moments before she grabbed hold of the door handle and opened it.

"I'm coming in but I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" She slowly asked before she stepped into it, sliding the door shut behind her.

The house was barely lit with the sun going in through the doors behind her. In the corner was a TV, screen blue as it showed nothing, "Is anyone here?" Carley inquired as she dragged her leg which was beginning to lessen the pain and now swollen, "I'm not a intruder or one of those...things." She explained before taking in the state of the house.

Furniture toppled over, strung across random parts of the room and her stomach tightened as she saw a spillage of blood near the entry to the kitchen. A lot of blood, she noted, "I don't think I'm the only person needing help..." She murmured.

She looked around more, spotting a coloring blood with a few crayons around, half-finished. The smiling unicorn glared at her, stars trailing behind its mane. This meant a kid must have lived here. Oh God, what if that was who the blood belonged to?

She walked more, ignoring the blood on purpose as she headed deeper into the house. She saw a bookcase leaning on the wall as if thrown and frowned a bit. Suddenly a beeping noise alerted her and she turned to see an answering machine still flashing red. She wobbled over to it and cautiously pressed a button, waiting for the messages to start playing.

_"Three new messages,"_ A male voice alerted with no emotion, "_Messages one. Left at five-forty-three p.m."_

Carley meanwhile had wandered around as the voices went throughout. She walked into the kitchen only to slip, hitting the ground and the scent of blood hit her nostrils. She backed out immediately after she got to her feet, grimacing in pain and her right side stained with fresh blood. Her stomach flipped.

**"Hey, Sandra, this is Diana. We're still in Savannah. Ed had a little 'accident' with some crazy guy near the hotel, so we had to take him to the ER and have it checked out. Anyways, he's not feeling well enough to drive back tonight, so we're staying an extra day. Thanks so much for looking after Clementine, and I'll promise we'll be back in time before your Spring Break!"**

Carley returned to the answering machine, deciding to just look at it in case she did anything else to harm her more. She looked at the machine with worried eyes. From what she assumed, a babysitter was here with a kid. She didn't want to know who's blood it belonged to.

_"Message two. Left at eleven-nine-teen p.m."_

**"Oh my God, finally! I don't know if you tried to reach us; all the calls are getting dropped. They're not letting us leave and aren't telling us anything about Atlanta. Please, please, just leave the city and take Clementine with you back to Marietta. I've got to get back to the hospital. Please let me know that you're safe."**

Atlanta? Was it in danger? What was happening in Savannah? Many thoughts went through Carley's mind and she could only gulp back fears but the next message interrupted her thoughts.

_"Message three. Left at six-fifty-one a.m."_

**"Clementine? Baby, if you can hear this, call the police. That's nine-one-one. We love you...we love you...we love y-"** A beeping noise interrupted the weeping as the message ended.

Carley stared at it before noticing a picture frame nearby. She picked it up, looking at the photo of three people. A man, a woman and a young girl. She looked at it with remorse and silently placed it back.

_"Mommy?"_

Her ears perked up and she noticed the noise to come from the kitchen. She walked over, making a deliberate step over the bloody mess on the ground and approached the corner of it, trying to determine where it came from. She opened up a drawer and spotted a walkie-talkie. She picked it up, staring at it in astonishment before pressing on the red button at the side as she approached the patio doors. Who did that voice come from?

"Hello?" She said slowly and quietly into the talkie.

_"You need to be quiet,"_ The voice alerted her. It was a female's and sort of squeakish.

She blinked before she cleared her throat, "Hello? Who is this?"

_"I'm Clementine,"_ The little girl in the photo flashed in her mind. She was alive? "_This is my house."_

"Hello, Clementine. I'm Carley," She informed her with a smile even if her back was to the patio door. Even so, she didn't even know the location of the girl.

"_You're not my mommy,"_ She bluntly stated and the smile slipped, a frown replacing it.

"No...I'm afraid not," The reported replied before limping around the room, just to make sure she wasn't just hiding. She scowled soon and pressed down on the button again, "Where are your parents?" She inquired.

_"They took a trip and left me with Sandra. They're in Savannah, I think. Where the boats are."_

No sign of any Sandra. Maybe she was gone for help or supplies or...or...something.

Carley limped back to the kitchen, curiosity getting the better of her even though her attempts at finding her were unsuccessful, "Where are you? Are you safe?"

_"I'm outside in my treehouse. They can't get in."_

She must have meant those monsters.

For a kid, that was a pretty smart thing to do. They didn't climb the fence so a treehouse would definitely be a problem.

"That was smart," She beamed.

_"See?"_ She immediately looked to said treehouse, seeing the door flap a bit as it was pushed open. She squinted and made out a dim figure, talking into a walkie-talkie just like her own, "_Can you see me? I can see you through the window."_ Carley smiled and lifted a hand to wave at her, alerting her that she could indeed make her out.

She didn't expect her to close the door after screaming out in a panic, "_AHHHH!"_

Carley blinked and turned around, eyes widening as she stared at the snarling face of what used to be a girl. She grabbed the arms heading towards her and struggled to fend them off. She grabbed her neck and moved to avoid the swiping arms. Eventually she gathered the strength and managed to shove it towards the counter. It hit the ground and she panted, turning and beginning to run. Of course running through the blood caused her to slip and her head hit the counter roughly as she slumped to the ground.

Her vision was blurry but she made out the walker crawling towards her. When it got to close, her leg shot out, hitting it square in the face. She stumbled to her feet, trying to rush to the door but it grabbed her ankle and she fell. Unfortunately her gun fell out from her waist, going out of her reach. She kicked it back again and tried moving back towards it. The sound of a door opening didn't change her focus as the thing suddenly fell on top of her. She grabbed its' arms as it snapped with its jaws, trying to tear a chunk out of her.

She struggled but kicked it away, trying to find her gun. She heard a voice behind her.

"Here!"

She moved back some more, kicking it once more being seeing her gun clenched in little hands. She grabbed it and aimed and fired, the bang ringing as the shot connected and the thing fell, a bullet wedged in its brain.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, "Geez..." She muttered before remembering the little girl, "Hey...kid." She turned to look at her.

She stared at the body, "Did you kill it?"

"Yeah..." Carley responded.

"It's okay. I think she was a monster," Clementine explained and Carley sighed, nodding.

"I think so too," Carley made her way to her feet and saw Clementine. She saw that she was a little girl of no more than seven or eight. She was cute with big curly hair and an adult-sized hat over it. Her eyes were a light-golden color and looked innocent but worried. She wore a white dress with leggings and had a light tanned skin tone, "You...you've been alone through all of this?"

"Yeah...I want my parents to come home now."

Carley, remembering the message, frowned a bit as she crouched down to her level, ignoring her stinging leg, "That might...take a bit, you know?"

"Oh..." She simply said, a look of fear washing over her.

Carley couldn't bear to see it. She couldn't leave this child alone and she couldn't allow her to stay here. They needed to get somewhere safe and with people and Carley would protect her until then.

"Maybe your parents could come back but that might take a long while. So, until then, I'll look after you, okay?" Carley offered though she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Clementine looked to be considering it and looked back up, "What should we do?"

Find help was the main priority. It was near sundown judging by the light and Carley didn't want to be around when dark would fall. Look during daylight, if they couldn't find anyone then perhaps a night in the house or somewhere else safe would do before they headed out in the morning.

"Find help before the sun goes down."

"Yeah, it's not safe at night..." Clementine turned to look out the patio. Carley frowned. What did this little girl see when night had fallen?

She stood up and approached the door, slipping her hand into the younger girl's just in case and it made her feel safer in protecting her, "Let's go. Keep tight to me and listen to what I say, okay?"

The short nod approved her request and she pushed the patio door open and they left. Carley limped once more, ignoring once again the pain. She stared at Clementine who looked into the house and then suddenly shut the door. She looked at Carley shyly for a few moments before running on ahead. Carley limped after her instead of running, cursing her leg.

She continued her walking/limping towards the gate to lead out of the house when she stopped, spotting two figures ahead. They shoved against a car weakly and gave up. They couldn't be those things as they spoke and weren't groaning. Plus their appearances were normal.

"Man," One of them complained.

The other rubbed the back of his head, pouting, "I ain't never gettin' home to mama at this rate." He looked disappointed.

"This sucks."

"Aw, it's hot dish night."

They resumed their attempts and Carley made her way to the gate. Maybe they could help.

She was about to go through it when she saw Clementine stop, slumping her shoulders. She crouched down, "Something the matter?"

"Should I stay?" She weakly asked.

"Huh?"

"I don't wanna sleep in the treehouse tonight, but I don't know if I should leave. What if my parents come home?"

Carley looked at her in silence for a few moments, "I'm not going to leave you alone."

Clementine smiled at her slowly for the first time since they met, "Let's go somewhere safe that's close, okay?"

"Good idea," Carley smiled before standing up and letting Clementine pushing the gate open, "Hello?" She called over to the duo.

Immediately they spun around, wide and alert.

"Holy shit!" The smaller, more leaner one with neat black hair exclaimed.

"Don't eat us!" The larger of the two and taller with greasy brown hair shouted, waving his hands helplessly.

Carley lifted a hand to show she was harmless, "We're not going to hurt you."

The smaller one sighed in relief, "Phew, thought for a second you and the little one were both going to give us the chomp."

Carley shook her head a bit, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get home, this neighborhood is a disaster," He explained before asking, "Are you trying to get out of here? Because you should be. Those things are all over the damn place. I haven't seen anything as gnarly as this neighborhood since downtown Atlanta, fifteen miles back." He paused, remembering the manners he was taught to use by his family and quickly introduced himself, "I'm Shawn, Shawn Greene."

"Carley. This is Clementine," She waved a hand to the minor who looked at the ground, feeling shy.

The tubby one bent down, lifting a hand to wave at Clementine, "I'm Chet." Clementine gave him a shy smile, moving behind Carley.

"We shouldn't be out in the open like this," Shawn informed us as Chet stood up, "How about you help us clear the way and we'll take you and your daughter back to my family's farm. It should be safer there."

"I'm not her mom, I'm...just some girl."

"Just some girl?" Shawn stared at her and when she nodded he blinked, "She's alone?" He paused and looked at Chet, "Let's get going. Staying put for too long is a mistake."

Carley looked at Clementine, wondering if she agreed with the plan, "What do you wanna do?"

Clementine shook her head a bit, "I..." Her eyes went somewhere and returned to Carley's. Before she could reply to the reporter they both heard the sounds of snarling.

"Them monsters comin'! We gotta go!" Chet hissed as Carley saw the limping monsters in the distance.

Carley stared at them until she heard Shawn whisper to her, his hands pressed against the cars bonnet, "Carley, quick! Let's go!"

She rushed to it and placed her hands on it, pushing with all her strength which wasn't much compared to the likes of someone like Shawn and also because of her height. Still though, the car moved slowly as she struggled to do so. It stopped, straining for a few moments before moving again. Carley looked to see Clementine joining the ranks as eventually it was moved. Before she could thank the girl, Shawn rushed to the front and the two followed. One of the things got a little to close and Carley shot a quick bullet into its' forehead before piling into the front with Clementine as Chet hopped in the back. Shawn started the truck as it bumped into the car from before but eventually was blaring down the road.

"For just some girl, it seems like you've saved a bunch of lives today," Shawn commented to Carley.

She breathed in a sigh of relief as she placed her gun back in her bag.

Yeah, just some girl indeed.

* * *

**Thanks to all for the kind reviews. I didn't expect such a positive feedback from so many people. It means a lot, thank you all.**

**So we've met Clementine and are on the way to the farm. Next chapter we'll meet Hershel and a certain family trio.**


	3. Arrival at the Barn

The ride back wasn't that much of a quiet one. At first they encountered many waves of those things and Shawn was either forced to drive straight through them or go around. It was clear it scared Clementine as Carley felt the little girls' hand slip into her own minutes ago and she didn't let go, giving it a small squeeze in return to assure her. When they took a left down a dirt road, it got a lot calmer.

Though the silence was comfortable, Carley had begged for someone to say something for she was left with her thoughts and with it came to remembering her crew, seeing them alive hours ago and now, just dead...or whatever that was they were. Those monsters. Chelsea may have been the biggest bitch she ever met but she didn't deserve this, especially not Lucas and Richard, two of the best people she knew. She would miss them dearly, even her snooty producer.

She looked out the window, noting the sky going darker and in a few minutes night had fallen.

The situation was changing more and more by the minute. Carley was never one for monster movies but she figured something like those things were the creatures that stared in it. She sighed, _Damn...walking-thingies. _She then realized a small huff. She needed to give these things a proper name. All they did was just try to bite you or walk randomly, hoping to find a potential victim.

Biters wasn't something she liked. Walkers? She was literally in a confusion on what to call things that eat people. She drooped her gaze down a bit. Walkers it is.

She noticed Clementine looking at her and looked back, the two sharing a small smile before Carley noticed a crop field to the side and also that Shawn seemed to be slowing down and he eventually made a turn towards a house. She saw a red barn off the side.

Shawn stopped the truck and they all piled out.

Chet stretched his arms, addressing his friend, "Hey Shawn, I'm a' run on home. My mama's gonna be in a snit."

"No sweat, man. I'll catch you tomorrow night," The two friends exchanged smiles before Chet turned to Carley and Clementine.

"It was nice to meet ya both," He nodded at them before walking off, Carley waving politely after him. She soon felt Clem's hand slip into her own again just as the door of the house opened and a man with grey hair plus beard exited.

Upon seeing Shawn, his expression loosened to relief, "Thank God, you're okay."

"I was worried it'd be bad here too," Shawn admitted before the two shared a hug.

"Been quiet as usual the past couple of days. Ol' Breckon down the way thinks his mares gone lame but that ain't nothing new."

"I wouldn't have made it back without Chet."

"Well, I'm glad you took him with you then," He suddenly took notice of the two people he didn't know, "You brought a couple guests." He acknowledged, hands being placed on his hips.

Carley looked at Shawn, "We wouldn't have made it here without your son, he helped us a great deal."

"Glad he could be of help to somebody," He noticed Clementine, "So it's just you and your daughter then?"

"Oh, not her daughter, she's, well...just some girl who found her alone."

The man mimicked the way both Carley and Chet used to speak to her, crouching down, "Honey, do you know this woman?"

Clem is quiet for a moment, "Yes."

He looked a bit weary before nodding, "Okay, then." His eyes were directed to the gash on Carley's leg, "Well, looks like you hurt yourself pretty bad there."

Carley looked down, frowning a bit, "I hurt it a while back, it's not doing great."

"I can help you out," He offered before looking to his son, "Shawn, run on in and check on your sister. You, take a seat up on the porch and I'll go see what I have." He headed off before Carley could thank him and so she just hobbled up the porch and sat down on the bench. Clementine stood a few feet back, watching her.

Shawn's father returned, holding a bottle of pills. He stared at the young girl before moving onto the reporter, crouching down, grasping her leg, "Let's have a look...yeah, this is swollen to hell."

"On the bright side, could be worse," Carley said, more of an attempt to assure Clem she was fine, knowing she was worried.

"That's what it sounds like," He bluntly replied, "Seems like things got awful bad in the cities." You have no idea, Carley said in her mind. He inspected her leg some more, "What did you say your name was?"

"Carley."

"Nice to meet you, Carley. I'm Hershel Greene," With that said, he produced some bandages, beginning to wrap her leg up. She winced at the contact, "How'd this happen?" He asked.

"Car accident."

"That so?" He inquired, "Where were you headed? Before the car accident?"

"Out of Atlanta."

"The news said stay."

"Yeah, well, that was a mistake," She frowned, "We hit a guy, one of those things you've been hearing about, on the road." The walker (still a ridiculous nickname) had come out of nowhere.

"Who were you with? The girl?"

"My crew. I was a reporter," No point lying to him. Not like she was hiding much.

"Where were you headed?"

"Macon."

"Not a good place to report on."

"Maybe I like the quiet places."

"House is full up with mine. We've got another displaced family of three sleeping in the barn. You and your daughter are welcome to rest there, when we're done here," She never got a chance to correct him calling Clem her daughter when he turned to her, "I didn't catch your name darlin'."

She looked away, as if almost hesitating, "Clem-Clementine." She answered.

"Can't imagine what you've been through Clementine," Hershel shook his head, sounding saddened but also curious. Carley's thoughts mimicked his exact words.

"I'm looking after her until we find her parents," Carley explained.

Shawn exited the house, looking at his father, "Hey, dad, so I'm thinking, first thing tomorrow, we gotta reinforce the fence around the farm."

"That doesn't seem necessary," Hershel replied, continuing to fix up Carley's wound. She noticed her skirt was torn at the hems in long lines and almost felt embarrassed by it.

Shawn frowned, "I don't what you saw on TV, or heard on the radio, but there's some serious-" He looked back at Clem and his next words were lower, "Shit hitting the fan. I don't think anyone knows how big it is yet."

Carley nodded, deciding to pitch in and help, "Your son's right. You're gonna wanna fortify this place."

"Stuff like that doesn't happen around here, Shawn."

"Dad, I'm serious," Shawn insisted, "Carley, come on, tell him what you saw out there."

"I saw people get eaten alive by people I knew were dead," Her crew flashed in her mind and she frowned.

Hershel looked to be deep in thought, "Well, do what you think you should. We've got plenty of chores as it is."

"Carley and those folks in the barn can help out in the morning. We gotta do it, really."

"I already said okay," His father repeated, an edge to his tone before looking at Carley, "Well, I'm all done here. It should start to feel better soon." Before Shawn left, he turned back to him, "Son, go grab one of your sisters pants. This ladies skirt here is all ruined."

Carley raised an eyebrow but said a thank you nonetheless as Shawn went to run said errand.

"If your leg gets hot or the swelling doesn't go down; you're probably dealing with infection," Hershel informed her as he stood up.

Carley looked up, a little worried, "What do we do then?"

"We'll probably just have to shoot you," He bluntly stated.

Her eyes went wide.

"We'll clean it, redress it and you'll be fine."

"I think I'd like that better."

Shawn returned with a pair of jeans in his hands, "These might be a little big or small, I couldn't tell." He handed them to her, Carley giving a smile of thanks.

"There's blankets and such in the barn," Hershel explained, "We'll be seeing you bright and early. Come tomorrow, which way you think you're headed?"

"Macon maybe," The idea of going there didn't appeal to her but some more crew members were going there. Maybe she could meet them.

Hershel left, giving Clem a smile to say goodnight.

Carley stood up and approached Clementine, "You ready?"

The two entered the barn to which Carley changed into the jeans, wincing at the contact on her leg but it felt better nonetheless. They were slightly baggy but most clothes she got that weren't her size were. Her height made that an guaranteed expectation.

They didn't see the family mentioned but she supposed they were somewhere else. She lay down on the blankets, Clem beside her and the two were quiet for a bit.

"It smells like..." Clementine dragged off after that. Carley sniffed the air, looking at her.

"Manure," She finished.

"Manure?" Clem asked in confusion, "Like when a horse...plops?"

Carley chuckled, "Yeah, Clementine. Just like that." She shut her eyes after that, thinking the two were going to fall asleep.

"I miss my mom and dad."

Her eyes opened and she stared at the young girl, frowning a bit. The poor girl didn't know where they were or their condition. And those messages didn't sound good to Carley.

"I know, Clem," She fought back a sigh.

"How far is Savannah?"

Carley had never been in the city but knew of its' location. And judging from they were it was-

"Pretty far," She interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh. Okay," She closed her eyes slowly and Carley took it as a cue to get some shut-eye.

* * *

_"After all, with a crew like us, how can she?"_

_"Sure are a lot of cops in this city, huh?"_

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"_

* * *

Carley jolted up at once, releasing a gasp as she breathed in, feeling a cold sweat run through her. She looked around, seeing hay and a little girl. She wasn't back at the van, she wasn't with her crew and they were still gone.

She fell back, frowning. Something told her this wouldn't be the first night she would have a bad dream. With a turn to her head, she soon fell back into a slumber.

* * *

"Hey, get up."

The voice snapped Carley back to reality and she sat up, yawning a small bit. She took a glance at Clem, seeing her scratch at her arms, glancing around the barn, "I'm itching." She announced.

"Well, you slept in a barn, little lady. Lucky you don't have spiders in your hair."

Immediately she gasped, looking up for sight of the dreaded insect.

"But I guess your mommy scared 'em all away, huh?"

"Oh, I'm not her mom," Carley explained. The newcomer was a man of average height with a handlebar mustache and even a mullet, a orange and white baseball cap clamped down. He wore a white shirt with a bead necklace, "I'm Carley."

"I'm Kenny," He responded. Before the adult could say more, she heard an enthusiastic voice.

"Dad! We're gonna build a fence! There's a tractor and everything!" A young boy stuck his head around the barn. He was a cute little thing with freckles and short hair with a grin as wide as his friends. He rushed off without another loud word.

Kenny looked back, a light smile on his face. Had to be his son, "We better get going or we won't hear the end of it."

Carley nodded but before she looked at Clementine and handed her the satchel bag but not before tucking her gun into the waistband of her jeans, "Mind this for me, okay? But don't open it, there's some ammo in it and..." She just said to a young girl she had bullets in her bag.

Clem took it without a word, putting it on and admiring the way it looked before they followed out after Kenny.

"That's my boy, Ken Junior. We call him Duck though."

Carley, who was holding Clementine's hand, took a glance towards him.

She smirked at him a bit, "Dodging or quacking?"

"Quacking," He replied without a beat.

"DAD!" Could be heard in about every city within a fifty mile radius.

Kenny glanced over, "See?"

They appeared in front of Duck and a blonde woman with him. They looked up, Carley and the lady exchanging polite smiles.

"The word is you were on your way to Macon?" Kenny inquired as they stopped by the two.

"I know people there," Carley explained.

"Well, Macon's on the way and personally I'd like to have someone who can handle a few of those things," Kenny smiled a bit, "You got a gun, you any good with it?"

"Good enough to rarely miss," Carley responded. She didn't like using the weapon but spending time in war zones, you're forced to learn some things. A few soldiers she met taught her a few pointers and she became a good shot at it.

Kenny's smile brightened at that. Having someone like her around for the most being would be damn good if they had an incident, "So you'll come?"

"Depends on the girl," She responded.

Kenny nodded, understanding before turning, "Honey, Duck, this is Carley and uh, what's the girls name?"

She hid shyly before the reporter who figured she would have to answer, "Clementine." She said to Kenny, who turned to the lady, repeating the same thing.

She leaned forward a bit, a kind smile gracing her lips, "That is a very pretty name."

"Thanks," Clem replied. She was still behind Carley but now smiled a bit.

Shawn walked up to them then, "We should all get to work. We've all seen what those things can do out there so the faster we get this fence up, the better."

"I want to build a fence," Duck announced brightly, nodding his head towards Shawn who smiled at him.

"Yeah? Well, I need a good foreman. You can sit on the tractor and yell at me whenever I take a water break."

Duck beamed towards him, "On the tractor? Cool!"

"Duck and I will hop to it," Shawn told the others before the two headed off.

Kenny's wife looked up at Carley, "I can keep an eye on your little girl here on the porch. We can visit." Carley took a look towards the young girl as she made her way to sit on the bale of hay alongside the woman as Kenny headed towards his truck, the roof opened up.

Carley looked walked around a bit, inspecting the farm now that it was in clear view. It looked sturdy enough but Shawn had been right, a fence was needed to barricade it, make it safe. It was a little while longer before she visited Clementine and her new friend which she overheard Clem saying to be Katjaa.

"Hey," Carley greeted them with a smile. She noticed their postures and made note of that, "You guys look pretty darn relaxed."

"I think we're doing just fine. Clementine was just telling me about first grade."

Carley looked over at her, "How's it going?"

"It's easy," She replied with a smile.

Carley made a bashful look, "Well, of course it is. First grade's always easy...anyways, you good?"

"Anyways, it's almost like we didn't see people eating each other for the past three days. It's peaceful, no?" Carley noticed her question was averted but didn't blame Katjaa. No one would be considered 'feeling good' after the events of the last few days.

Carley was curious and yet worried about Kenny and his family's survival through the city, "How did you guys make it out the cities? I thought they were pretty bad."

"Kenny just...drove. We passed so many people that needed help. And...we just...passed people. Over some...just...just..."

And yet they didn't topple over off the interstate, Carley grumbled in her mind before shaking her head, "Hey, don't worry about. You don't need to continue."

"I want to go home tomorrow, but even then I can't take away we...the things Duck went through," Katjaa's expression became upset before she composed herself and looked up, "Don't you want to go back to the moment before you knew about all of this?"

"Anyone would. To have things normal, to not have people trying to chomp on you," Carley admitted sadly.

"All of those things," Katjaa stated.

"The things that matter. With those gone..." Carley didn't even finish her sentence before trying to think of something to lighten to mood, "So, when the dead aren't all trying to nip at us, what do you do?" She smiled.

"I'm a veterinarian back in Fort Lauderdale, like Hershel here, except more with dogs and cats and not horses. What is it that you do, Carley?"

"I'm a reporter."

Katjaa frowned a bit then, "We need to hope that we can go back to our jobs soon, Carley. Back to normal. It can't stay like this."

Carley nodded, "I'll be back later." She departed as Katjaa and Clementine resumed their friendly conversation. She headed over to Kenny, "Hey there, Kenny." She greeted him, "How's you boy doing?"

"Good, I think," Kenny explained, examining the truck's engine, "Katjaa's got a sister up in Memphis. We were coming back from visiting her. We were in a gas station and some guy grabbed my boy. I thought he was kidnapping him. I was on the fucker in about two seconds flat and...Christ. Just lucky I was there. We saw a lot of bodies before we stumbled upon Hershel's. But, we're a tough family, Lee. Ain't nothing gonna faze us."

Carley lightly smiled a bit. Kenny seemed like a good man. It was nice to see a family together trying to get through these tough times, "You have a plan?"

"Get back on down to Lauderdale and let this mess get sorted out," He explained, "Government will start handing out shots and the national guard will do it's thing. On the odd chance things got too bad, we could hop on my boat, I guess."

"Boat?"

"I'm a commercial fisherman, catching mackerel, dolphin, whatever's biting and paying. Katjaa wouldn't be wild about it, but the boats not that bad," Kenny replied, before using a wrench on the truck.

"Need help?"

"Naw, I think I got it," Carley turned to leave, "Do you need any help?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, in taking care of that little girl. You know what you're doing? You got kids of your own?"

"Na, no kids."

"Woulda liked one then," He noted.

Carley gave a shrug, "Maybe. Be seeing you." She said before walking off. She spotted Duck and Shawn, the latter working on the fence, the other bouncing up and down a tractor. Duck caught sight of her and she waved to which he flung his arm in the air to return the gesture enthusiastically.

"How's it going, Duck?" She asked.

He grinned, "Good! I'm gonna drive the tractor!" Tugging uselessly on the gearshifts, "I'm the foreman! life with your back, Shawn!"

Carley approached Shawn, "Hey, Carley."

"Hey, Shawn. Want some help?"

"That'd be great. If you could cut those two-bys to length, that'd sure speed things up," He smiled.

Carley nodded and grabbed hold of the saw, beginning to cut through the wood. It wasn't something she was familiar with but how hard could it be to move something up and down and let it cut something.

Shawn broke the silence a few moments later, "My dad doesn't know how bad it is."

"You're right, he doesn't," Denial wasn't going to get Hershel and his family too far if he tried pretending none of this was happening.

"I saw a guy in Atlanta kill a kid. A boy. Just shot him right in the face," Shawn then said, upsetting the tone around the two.

"Was the kid...one of those walkers?"

"I don't even know. He was either attacking the guy or asking for help," Shawn frowned, "He didn't hesitate. He just turned, put the barrel of the gun right between the kid's eyes and pulled the trigger." He sighed, looking at her, "You don't see things like that. It's not like in the movies."

Carley frowned a bit. Her time in war zones had ensured she saw crazy shit. People murdered in front of her, either shot or crashing into something or blown up or...or anything.

"It doesn't come out like you think."

"Did you have to do it?"

"Do what?" Carley asked as she finished cutting the slab of wood she was on and continued to the next.

"Kill. Have you had to off one off yet?"

"Oh, uh..." Carley sighed, "I had to shoot one."

"I could shoot one, maybe," Shawn acknowledged, "If it were far away."

Not in front of you trying to bite your leg off. The walker looked as if their previous state had their whole life ahead of them. Now they were left to rot in Clementine's house.

"I'm just glad we're getting this fence built."

"Think it'll hold?"

"Hopefully," He replied, "Dad just wants to keep the family safe and thinks inviting people in is a bigger threat than whatever's out there," He explained before looking over at her, "How about yours? How's your family?"

"I...don't know," Carley admitted, "I haven't really talked to them in a while after a falling out." She confessed.

"What happened?"

"Came back from a, er, trip," She lied, "And they didn't just agree with the new me."

"Well, sure hope their okay," She finished another plank of wood and went to pick up another when he called over, shaking his head, "That's probably going to be all the wood I need cut for now. Thanks."

Carley went to leave but turned back, smiling, "Hey, Shawn? Thanks for the ride."

"No problem, Carley. Couldn't leave you behind," He smiled back, "Anyway, when you see my dad around, he might want some help in the barn."

Carley nodded and turned to see the old man heading into the red barn. She wasn't looking forward to this. Hershel was awfully blunt and forward with his statements and she didn't want to be around him more than she had to be.

She headed to the barn, seeing him using the pitchfork on hay. He glanced up and back down, "How'd you get out of Atlanta?"

"I was with my crew, we were going to Macon. We got into an accident and I found Shawn then."

"Hmm, well, you're no worse for wear."

Carley looked around the barn uncomfortably, trying to lighten the mood, "This farms an amazing piece of land."

"Hah, had you told me twenty years ago, I'd still be doing this, I would have told you that you were full of crap. Never was the plan, having a place like this. It was in the family, and I guess so was I. Family's important, it's all that matters. You agree with that?"

Carley frowned a bit, "Yeah, I do..." She said, unsure if her words were even true.

"Where's your family now? Parents? Husband? Boyfriend?"

"They live in L.A."

"Big city. Could be full of those monsters."

Carley's eyes slowly went wide as she realized that the odds of her family surviving were most likely next to none. She had no siblings and they lived alone, "Maybe they've made it out okay."

Hershel took no notice of the distasteful words he had accidentally said, not noticing Carley was now worried, "Hopefully they're fine...but now you've got this little girl to take of. Clementine, is it? You just stumbled up-on her?"

"Yes, I needed help and was looking for it in her house."

He was silent before he huffed, "Hmmph. Can I give you a piece of advise?"

"Depends on what it is..."

"I don't know who you are, or what you did. Let's day things don't get better back in the cities. Or they get worse before they do. You're going to have to depend on the honesty of strangers if you're going to make it. And if those same people get to questioning yours, you're going to be in trouble. Oh, and I'd start checking the attitude, friend."

The way he said friend made it seem more hostile than friendly.

Carley was going to response when she heard the sound of a machine starting followed by a roaring of pain.


	4. Keep Piling On

Carley rushed out of the barn, hearing Hershel yell behind her, "Go! I'll get my gun!" He exclaimed as Carley set off immediately for the area of the tractor which the yelling was coming from. What was going on? Was Clementine in trouble?! Her heart fell at the idea of that and her pace quickened despite it causing her leg to throb in pain. She passed by the house when Katjaa exited and she spun around to avoid her, hopping over a root sticking out from the bottom of a trouble as she rounded the corner.

The first thing she noticed was Clementine, standing straight and not harmed. Then she heard the moaning and groaning of the walkers. She saw Shawn, trapped, his leg crushed beneath one of the wheels of the tractor. The things were pawing through the half-complete barricade, trying to reach him. Duck sat at the wheel, eyes wide and unsure of what to do.

The sounds of the young lad screaming were heard as his shoulders were grabbed by a walker, trying to tug him over. He grabbed hold of whatever he could, trying not to be yanked over.

Carley reached out for her pistol. She had to save one of them first. Her weakness for the well-being of kids got the better of her and she rushed towards the end of the tractor, aiming her pistol and shooting the walker directly in the face as it's hold on Duck loosened. Kenny rushed up, grabbing hold of his son, "I got you!" He exclaimed.

"Get this tractor off of me!" Shawn's pleading shout of desperation extended through the area as he crawled helplessly, too weak to shove it off. Kenny took a few steps back before turning and running off, "Carley, help me! Please!" She twisted around, holding her gun up and first aiming to shoot a walker when a clink noise echoed from it. She pressed the trigger again and her eyes widened. She had no ammo. It was in the satchel bag with Clementine holding it.

The wood collapsed as the two walkers fell through, one biting his leg and another chomping his neck. Clementine could be heard whimpering, moving back. Hershel arrived, holding a shotgun. He stared in horror before blasting one of the things off him, the other being killed soon after. Another one walked, about to enter when it found itself eating a bullet instead of flesh.

When done, his hardened expression turned to shock as he crouched down, stroking the back of his sons head and gripping his hand. He was silent as Kenny and his family approached, staring with the same horror as all of them. Katjaa turned around, shielding the two kids view.

Hershel sat up slowly, quiet before they heard a quiet mutter, "Get out..." They were silent as he stood up then, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" He roared.

Kenny bowed his head, "I'm sorry..."

"Sorry?! Your son is alive. You don't get to be sorry!" He shouted, fury flooding in his face before turning to Carley, his glare deepening, "And you. You don't even try to help."

Carley felt more guilt wedge up in her, adding to the already hefty pile. Four deaths were her fault. If she had awoken earlier, maybe her crew would be alive. That guilt would not go away. And now Shawn was dead, because she was stupid enough to forget to reload.

"I tried to help them both," She said slowly.

"Take a look at him! Look at what your helping that kid first did!" He pointed at his son, blood staining his face with his leg chomped with a deep gash. Hershel then turned, "Please, just go." His tone became harsher, "Get out and never come back." He snarled.

Carley turned, meeting Kenny's gaze. Kenny returned it before looking at Clementine, his wife following. The young girl just stared back motionlessly, fear on her face.

"You've got that ride to Macon if you want it," Kenny quietly offered before turning away, walking off with his family.

Carley and Clem stared after them before slowly exchanging looks of their own. In silence, they headed after them, "Do you want this back?" Clementine asked quietly, motioning the satchel bag.

"Please," Carley replied and she took it, placing the strap around her neck but not before reloading.

Clementine looked at her quietly and Carley knew she had to be the one who spoke next.

"We're heading to Macon next. It's a quiet town and shouldn't be like the cities. Is that good enough?"

"Is it far?"

"A little bit," She admitted.

"Okay," Clem murmured, "But, what about my parents?"

"They'll be okay," Carley wasn't sure of her words but they had arrived at the truck now. Katjaa was in the back, fussing over Duck who was rather quiet instead of bursting and shouting. He was clearly shocked from the events. Carley helped Clementine into the back and piled into the front with Kenny. He was quiet and started the truck up and drove off.

As Carley looked back, she saw Hershel still bent over. She then saw to her horror a little girl no more a preteen at the very least approached him. And another soon followed and she looked away, trying to distract her thoughts.

She felt her throat dry and realized it had been a day or so since she ate or had a drink. Her hunger wasn't bad but she realized that right now a cup of coffee would be nice. She liked it sweet with piles of sugar and cream, Richard always knew how to get the right blend for her.

She paused. Why did she bring his name up? All she saw was his face getting blown off by the bullet Chelsea used. She cringed. Now she brought _her_ up. She could have saved her. If she didn't move, she might have been able to stop Lucas from eating her. Bang, another name. She sighed and rubbed the frown on her forehead, trying to calm it down.

* * *

She was restless through the drive. The kids had passed out long ago, trying to get some sleep after the busy day and the adults were quiet. Kenny drove, sometimes through places of ruin, cars tipped and even some bodies lingering the car. Carley made note of each sign they passed. Only a couple of more miles 'till Macon.

She clasped her hands together. Could she have saved Shawn? If she reloaded, would she be able to have saved his life. She could have shot the walkers, move the tractor off him and all he would have was a badly smashed leg but he would be alive. Why didn't she reload?!

She huffed a bit but remained quiet, forcing her thoughts away. She must have been quiet and out of thought for a long time before she saw a 'Welcome to Macon' sign flash by.

Kenny drove in the main center before a spluttering noise was heard and the truck began getting gradually slower and slower before it stopped.

"Well, this is as far as we're going," He said bluntly.

Carley sighed, "Then we've got far enough." She then exited the truck as did the others. She looked at Clementine who stared back meekly before they headed off. Kenny mentioned something about finding gas before he and his family would be on their way.

The numerous smashed cars made her feel uneasy. Not this place. Anywhere but here. She had the vision of Macon being fine not like this without a sinner to be seen.

They passed a pharmacy, the only place with light as the large neon red 'DRUGS' sign flashed even if during the day. She frowned a bit. Having it on was odd and also worried her. As is something happened during the night to make it like that.

"Look!" She turned to see Duck, pointing at something in the distance. They looked and saw someone hunched over. Kenny immediately took the opportunity.

"Hey there! You friendly? Truck's run out of gas."

Carley could have sworn she heard snarling and when a bald, growling monster turned to look at them her suspicions were confirmed.

"FUCK!" Kenny yelled.

His shouts brought more walkers, them emerging out of anywhere. They stumbled upon them and Carley lifted her pistol, shooting a few in the head and she got another couple before that damn clink happened again. More of them were still coming.

"We're trapped!" Katjaa yelled before a shout from Duck was heard.

He had fallen as a walker approached them, "AHHH! NO! NO! HELP!" He yelled before the walker was knocked aside by a glass bottle to the head. It fell to the side before being crushed by a boot. Gunk spurted out from it, hitting Duck directly. His family rushed to help him.

The savior was a tall, black man who had smashed the bottle. Carley went to reload when she heard a shout.

"Run!" An Asian man wearing a hat yelled. They wasted no time in rushing in through the doors. Carley drew in a sharp breath, catching her breath. She reload her gun, putting it away. She was about to talk to Clementine before a harsh voice snapped.

"We can't take risks like this!"

The man who saved Duck from earlier narrowed his eyes at the woman opposite him. Something about him seemed familiar to Carley. His hair was short and he had a dark beard. She couldn't pinpoint anything though, "These people were about to be eaten! We couldn't leave them out there to rot."

"When I say 'that door stays shut no matter what', I fucking mean it," Hissed the lady with brown hair and piercing eyes, "We don't know who these people are, they could be dangerous!"

"Worse, they could've led them right to us," A large, heavily built monster of an middle-aged man snapped.

"They would have died, would you rather we have left them?" The man protested with a frown.

"We have kids!" Carley exclaimed.

"I see one little girl," He retorted. Carley felt Clem's hand slip into her own, tugging on it.

"What?" She asked Clementine a little harsher than she meant it.

She frowned a bit, "I...I have to pee."

"In a second," Carley told her.

The Asian man moved forward a bit, "They've got kids, Lilly!"

"Those things outside don't care, Glenn!" She glared at him.

Kenny spoke up, "Maybe you some go join 'em, then. You'll have something in common!"

The old man frowned, "Goddammit, Lilly, you have to control these people!"

"Lee and Glenn just ran out there!" She replied. Carley spotted Clementine in the distance, approaching the door with the bathroom symbols on it. She didn't pay to much attention as the arguments continued.

"I don't give a flying fuck, we're in a warzone!" He growled.

"And is this what you do in warzones?! Throw innocent kids out to be eaten?" Carley narrowed her eyes.

"We have too many people as it-"

"Holy...shit," The old man said slowly, turning to Katjaa and Duck, the former who was cleaning the latter of the gunk on them, "Son of a bitch, one of them is bitten!"

Carley's glare deepened, "He was not bitten!"

"Hell he wasn't!" He snapped back, "We have to end this now." He went to walk but was stopped in path by Kenny and surprisingly the man who had saved Duck.

"Over my dead body," Kenny growled.

"We'll dig one hole."

"Don't harm the boy," Lee stated firmly. The name Lee brought more thoughts that she knew who he was but failed because she was more focused on what was happening.

"No! I'm cleaning him up! There's no bite! He's fine!"

The old man's eyes flashed with fury, "Don't you fucking people get it?! We've seen this happen! We let someone with a bite stay and we all end up bitten!"

Kenny clenched his fists, "Shut up!"

"We gotta throw him out! Or smash his head in!"

Katjaa's eyes widened, "KENNY! STOP HIM!"

"Carley, what do we do about this guy?" Kenny looked to the reporter.

"Dad...it's just a boy," Lilly said slowly, "It's...it's-"

"Lilly, I'll handle this."

"But your heart, dad, you need to calm down."

As much as Carley didn't want to try and be neutral, she didn't want to make more mistakes then she already had, "We...we try to reason with him." She said.

"With the bloody end of an axe handle, maybe! Nobody threatens my boy!"

"Everyone calm down! Let's not do anything we're going to regret!" The words from Lee were mostly directed to the old man. Larry glared at him in return.

"Nobody is doing anything," Lilly said through gritted teeth.

"Shut up, Lilly!" He then looked at the black man, "And you, shut the fuck up! They will find us and they will get in here, and none of this will fucking matter! But right now, we're about to be trapped in here with one of those things."

Kenny shoved his face forward, "What the hell are you talkin' about?!" He demanded.

"He's bitten! That's how you turn!"

"He's not bitten," Katjaa insisted, rubbing Duck's arms, "Carley, stop this! It's upsetting him!"

"Oh? I'm upsetting him? Upsetting is getting eaten alive!"

"Dad, we get it. It's a big deal," Lilly said, trying to calm him down.

Carley felt a wave of anger wash over her. He was willing to kill a boy on a wild guess?! Her temper flared and she glared at him, "I advise you shut up, or else I'll do something I'm going to regret."

"You're gonna whoop me?! What are you? Four-foot, two?!" He almost laughed.

"She's got my help," Kenny growled.

"And me," Lee stated alongside Carley.

"Ha, that's good," He looked around Kenny, "Little boy! Before you eat your mommy, you can watch your dad get his nose broken!"

"I'm gonna kill him, Kat! Just worry about Duck!"

"Carley?"

Her attention changed, she looked over at the young girl, "What is it?"

"There's someone in there," Clementine insisted.

"It's not that, it's locked," The tall man told her, "Key's behind the counter...probably." He added.

Larry just wouldn't quiet, "Hey, I'm not the bad guy here! I'm just looking out for my daughter!"

"He's doing the same for his son!" Carley frowned.

"My daughter isn't bitten! He's covered in muck. She'll find the bite. Watch!"

"She won't!" Kenny yelled.

"And if she does?" He coyly asked, shutting Kenny up, "The first thing he'll do is sink his teeth into his mom's face!" Carley felt her anger flooding. She knew she should try and contain it but she didn't.

"That won't happen! He's a little boy anyways, we can take him," She clenched her fist.

"A little boy? He'll be an uncontrollable man-eater!"

"It's not gonna happen!" Kenny was fuming, his protective side fully out.

"It is and we're tossing him out now!"

That was the last straw. Carley's temper snapped and she practically shouted out her sentences, "Don't you even fucking dare! You touch him, or anybody here and you will regret. I've a little girl here I'm trying to protect." She had grabbed her pistol by then, "You do anything that jeopardzies her or anyone and I will personally take this damn gun and smack you right over the goddamn head with it! And trust me when I say that if your going to toss someone out, then it damn well be me first because it's me before anyone else here!"

She couldn't even take a breath to relax after that as she heard a scream. The door of the bathroom was opened and out fell a walker, "CLEMENTINE!" She yelled, running though she took a wrong step and collapsed. Her head hurt but she forced herself to her feet. Her gun had fallen out. She didn't have time to grab it and rushed towards the beast that grabbed her. She gripped him, "Get off her!" The walker forced its' attention on her and she tried to push it away. Unlike the last fight with a walker she had like this, it wasn't a teenage girl and she felt her strength getting weaker.

All of a sudden a bullet shot through its' head and it fell to the ground, "Oh, geez." She took a breath in and looked up to see Lee holding the gun. He looked a little surprised before lowering it.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," She murmured, "Thanks for that." She said. He offered the gun he held which turned out to be hers and she tucked it into her jeans. They shared a small smile before a thumping noise was heard.

"Uh, guys?" Glenn whispered.

The wood on the walls thumped, vibrating. Carley felt Clementine behind her, clutching her shirt. She placed an arm protectively behind her.

"Everybody down! Stay quiet!" Lilly could be heard hissing.

Larry peeked out a counter, "They're gonna get in!"

"Shut up!"

Carley noticed someone near by her staring in horror. He looked up at the ceiling. He had dark-blonde hair and wore a green shirt. The sounds of bullets interrupted her examining him and she listened quietly.

"Is that the military?" Lee inquired.

"I don't know," Lilly responded.

"Thank God for whatever it is," Glenn simply stated.

An angry voice brought Carley to reality and she sighed, "We also died because of this bastard and his itchy trigger figure! That was stupid! That was-" He stopped, clutching his chest as he moaned in pain, collapsing to the ground.

"DAD!" Lilly ran over to him.

Carley looked at him, "What's happening with him?"

"It's his heart!"

"My pills," Larry weakly murmured.

Katjaa fumbled in her thoughts, "Uh-um...nitroglycerin pills?"

"Yes. We're out. We've been trying to get into the pharmacy since we got here! Please, try to get in there! Behind the counter where the pills are!"

Carley felt as if it were somehow directed at her. However Lee stepped up, "I'll help."

"I'll help too," Lee glanced at her and she shrugged, "What? I'm not pill expert but I'm good at breaking into things." He gave her a light smile despite the situation.

"Thank you, both of you so much," Lilly stated, "We need nitroglycerin pills. Please get in there. I'll keep an eye on my dad."

Kenny stepped forward, "Everyone should get comfy and look for anything useful. We could be in here a while."

"I'm starting to think this drugstore isn't a permanent solution," Glenn confessed.

"You're right, this ain't exactly Fort Knox."

"What do you think we should do?" Carley asked him.

"We need as much gas as possible so we can all get out of downtown Macon. Fast."

Carley nodded, "Right."

"Then I'll head out and get gas. There's a motel not too far from here, out towards the end of Peachtree. I'll work my way towards it and then loop back, siphoning what I can."

Carley smiled at him, "That would really help."

"Well, it's gonna get done. Plus, I'm quick and I know Macon."

"Local?" Lee asked.

"Born and raised."

Carley knew they had to keep contact and phones were out of the question. She had left hers back in the van from the crash. She grabbed hold of the walkie-talkie and extended it to him, "Use this to keep in contact and tell us if you get into trouble. Hopefully you won't need it."

"Cool," He pocketed it.

"Clementine's got the other. Update with her if push comes to shove."

Kenny glanced at the woman tending to her father, "And you, what's your name?"

"It's Lilly. My dad's Larry."

"Keep a good eye on him. These two will get work on getting you your medicine."

Lee and Carley nodded.

"And you," He pointed towards the dark-blonde man from before, "You keep an eye on that front door. You're our look out."

"It's Doug," He stated, "You got it."

"Never caught your name," Kenny looked towards the man beside Carley.

"I'm Lee," He introduced.

"Thanks for having my back there, Lee," Kenny nodded before looking at Carley, "Don't over-exaggerate yourself. You're the best shooter here and I wanna keep it that way." He smiled at Carley, appreciating her help in defending Duck. She lightly returned it to her new-found friend, "Now get those pills."

He headed back to his family, leaving the duo alone. Clementine was off sitting at a box.

"We should hurry-"

"Let's get to it-"

The two spoke at the same time and shared similar looks of amusement before Lee cleared his throat.

"What I mean is, let's get a few minutes of rest before we go pill-hunting, okay?"

"You got it," She then smiled, "By the way thanks for before. You saved my ass back there."

"It was a lucky shot, I thought I'd hit you."

"Lucky you didn't," He chuckled at her remark.

"Yeah, sure am."

A silence erupted between them and Carley glanced away, "I'm gonna go check on everyone before we do this, okay?"

"Sure."

Carley headed off, trying to shake the feeling that she knew him from somewhere that just wouldn't leave.

* * *

**Thanks again for all those reviews! Once again it's nice to see you all enjoying this.**


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